ReadyNAS Time Machine support for Mac OS X Lion [Updated]

I eagerly downloaded and installed Lion as soon as it was released on the Mac App Store; however I was disappointed to see that as soon as I tried to contact to my ReadyNAS box, either via shares or in the case of being for Time Machine purposes, an error was displayed, “The version of the server you are trying to connect to is not supported. Please contact your system administrator to resolve the problem“.

This is because Lion is only compatible with Netatalk 2.0, something many mainstream NAS manufacturers aren’t using yet and therefore updates will need to be released and promptly.

If you are a ReadyNAS user then support is in part there and just an upgrade away:

If you are using a x86-based ReadyNAS system (Ultra 2/4/6 [Plus], Pro 2/4/6, Pro Pioneer, Pro Business, 1500, 2100, 3200, 4200), youâ€™ll need to update to RAIDiator 4.2.18, which was just released this morning (see Release Notes). With this release, AFP and Time Machine will work just fine. If you choose not to update to 4.2.18, AFP access will still work, but Time Machine backups will fail.

If you are using a ReadyNAS Duo/NV+ or past sparc-based systems (600, X6, 1000S, 1100), do not update to Lion if you are accessing the ReadyNAS over AFP or are using Time Machine. Weâ€™re working on a solution, but this will take some time as it involves optimizing some code for the sparc-based SOC (System-0n-Chip), so please bear with us. In the meantime, if you have to have Lion and youâ€™re not using Time Machine, you can use SMB to connect to the ReadyNAS.

Thankfully, since the above statement was made by Netgear, there has been some good new for users of theÂ ReadyNAS Duo/NV+ or pas sparc-based systems (600, X6, 1000S, 1100). A beta version of the new firmware is now available for download but you should use it at your own risk.

We will update this post when the beta goes final. We will be giving it a go – if you do too then please give your feedback below in the comments section.Â (Updates below)